


The Misadventure Of A College Kid

by pastelahgase



Category: GOT7
Genre: 2Jae, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Eventual Smut, Humor, Love Triangles, Lowkey the Markjin is real, M/M, Pining, Slow Burn, Sort Of, i guess we'll find out, jjp, main focus is markson, markson, side 2jae, side Yugbam, side jjp - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2018-12-15 03:45:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11797704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastelahgase/pseuds/pastelahgase
Summary: "Hey dumbass, want to explain how you survived today?"For most people, this sentence would have been insulting, but 21 year old Mark Tuan had come to accept it as a phrase of endearment.He really needed to reevaluate the word 'endearment.'OrThe one where Mark Tuan is just trying to survive his third year of university but his ever present and obnoxious best friend Jackson Wang is making it increasingly hard.Why?Because Mark is in love with him and Jackson is too dumb to realize it.OrThe typical Markson university!AU no one asked for!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back!  
> And better than ever!  
> At least I think I'm better than ever...  
> I'll let you be the judge.  
> P.S. This is un beta'd so please forgive spelling or grammar errors.

Mark didn't ask for much out of life.

He'd asked to survive high school, graduate with average grades, be accepted by his friends and family as bisexual, and get into the college of his dreams.

And he had been given all of it.

Well, that and something he hadn't asked for.

A roommate who somehow became his best friend and who also somehow wormed his way into Mark's deepest affections to the point where Mark wasn't sure what kind of love it was.

But that's unimportant and can be talked about at a later date.

Currently, Mark had more pressing matters at hand.

Like sprinting across campus in order to make it to his last class of the day even though he only had five minutes before it started.

'If you really do exist, whoever you are, please let me get to this class on time and I'll never ask for anything ever again.' Mark thought to himself, sending out this silent prayer in the hopes that it would be answered. 

Again, Mark's strategy of asking for very little in life worked and he was granted the miracle of making it to class with thirty seconds to spare.

Remind him to start praying more often.

\--------------------

With classes successfully over for the day, Mark was granted the sweet relief of no more worries for the day (homework didn't count), as he made his way back to the resident apartments he'd been fortunate enough to have been living in since sophomore year. 

Mark wasn't really sure what to expect when he opened the door and stepped inside the two bedroom, one bathroom, and kitchen/living room connected, apartment.

It probably wasn't supposed to be what happened next.

"Hey dumbass, want to explain how you survived today?"

For most people, this sentence would have been insulting, but 21 year old Mark Tuan had come to accept it as a phrase of endearment.

He really needed to reevaluate the word 'endearment.'

Enter Jackson Wang.

[Brief description: Chinese (Hong Kong born and raised before moving to Korea. Surprisingly, it was their shared ability to speak English that had brought them so closely together, that and Jackson was just really persistent), platinum blond, medium height, chocolate brown eyes, a killer smile.]

The laugh (reminiscent of a hyena's) that followed was only to be expected.

[Fun fact: loud.]

[Very loud.]

"Hey to you too." Mark mumbled as he dumped his bag and anything else he was carrying unceremoniously on the floor.

Jackson scoffed, making a motion as if he was flicking his hair over his shoulder, "why Markiepooh, that's no way to greet your best friend."

[Another fun fact: Mark had the honor of being his best friend.]

Mark rolled his eyes as he shrugged off his jacket and shook each individual leg until his shoes had followed suit. "'Dumbass' isn't exactly the way to great your best friend now is it?" He shot back, but his tone didn't have any fire behind it. 

Jackson grinned, another shrill laugh escaping his lips as he bounded over the sofa and plopped down, patting the cushion next to him as a sign for Mark to join him.

And Mark, who was tired beyond belief and who could also never say no to Jackson did.

As soon as Mark sat down, this body sinking into the cushions, he was enveloped in a warm hug from his best friend and a string of muffled words that he couldn't quite make out.

"What? You'll have to speak up." Mark teased, his body relaxing as he allowed himself to be pulled closer.

"That's rich coming from you," Jackson replied, the grin evident in his voice as he continued, "I missed you."

And there it was.

Three simple words that somehow always managed to twist and squeeze Mark's heart until he felt like he couldn't breathe.

But Mark, ever the talented actor, did not express this sentiment and chose the safe reply of: "yeah, I've heard it before. What else is new?"

He was immediately released from Jackson's hug (the warmth was immediately missed), as the Chinese boy leaped into a one sided conversation of how his day was.

Mark barely listened, his eyes too focused on the little things Jackson did when he talked. How sometimes he'd accidentally slip into Mandarin the faster he spoke, or the way his arms would start swinging around wildly when he got to a particularly exciting topic, but the bouncing up and down when he was getting to the end of the discussion was definitely Mark's favorite.

"Well?"

The question broke Mark out of his reverie, and he was forced to nod and hum his agreement to whatever Jackson had just said.

Luckily Jackson didn't ask him to elaborate and merely settled for a 'I knew you'd agree!' before he bounded off to his room, the door shutting behind him with a soft thud.

When Mark was sure Jackson was buried deep into whatever it was he doing, he let a heavy sigh escape, eyes slipping shut as he sunk further into the cushions.

Mark was screwed.

And he had no idea what to do about it.

\--------------------

After a dinner (which consisted of the last two packets of ramen they had in their otherwise bare cupboard and a glass of very bland tap water), Mark was feeling energized enough to start on the overly large load of homework he somehow had to have finished before class the next day.

"Just one more day and then it's Saturday and you'll be free till Monday." He repeated to himself every five minutes as he struggled to focus on the words in his textbook.

When the words all started blurring together and his hand was practically shaking from writing for so long, Mark gave up and decided it was time to take a break.

Now Mark, as a simple person, had very few things he could think of to do during a break.

He could 

1\. Play with his phone  
2\. Scrounge around for something to eat  
3\. Bother Jackson

Bothering Jackson seemed like a good option.

Or maybe Mark's brain just liked torturing his heart.

Who knows.

\--------------------

Turns out bothering Jackson was not a good option.

Because Jackson was currently in the middle of something very...

Mark couldn't even think of a word for it.

Not bothering to knock (because Jackson never did), Mark had opened the door to Jackson's room expecting to find his best friend watching Netflix or stuffing his face with the secret stash of Doritos he always kept on hand.

What Mark had not expected was to walk in on Jackson, splayed across the bed, naked from the waist down, and with his hand currently wrapped around his cock.

Yep, definitely hadn't expected that.

For a moment Mark just stood there, too shocked to really do anything.

Jackson didn't seem to even notice Mark, eyes screwed shut, grunts of pleasure escaping his lips every couple of seconds, his hand moving up and down his length, supposedly too focused on the task at hand (no pun intended).

This was wrong.

Really wrong.

Mark needed to make himself known, or at the very least leave quietly while he still could.

But he couldn't help it.

Couldn't help the way his eyes took in the scene, subconsciously taking snapshots and storing them away in his memory bank for later.

Couldn't help how Jackson's moans were now engrained in his memory, forever to be on repeat.

Couldn't help the fact that he desperately wanted for Jackson to cum with Mark's name on his lips.

"Shit!" Mark exclaimed, only realizing his error when the noises stopped and he looked back at Jackson to see the blond was now staring right at it.

Then Jackson screamed.

And Mark was running, an apology thrown over his shoulder as he slammed the door and headed straight for his only means of escape (the outside world).

Because there was no way Jackson could know how turned on he was.

There was no way Jackson could know the kind of filthy things that were running through his mind.

There was no way Jackson could know how much Mark wanted to immediately jerk off until he came screaming Jackson's name.

But most importantly.

There was no way Jackson could know how much Mark loved him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news and bad news.  
> Good news? I've been inspired and decided to write another chapter.  
> Bad news? Well...answer that for yourself.

"YOU WALKED IN ON WHO DOING WHAT?" 

Mark winced at the piercing sound of the voice, making a mental note to start wearing ear plugs every time he came to visit.

Kim Yugyeom.

[ Brief description: very, very tall, black hair cut like a coconut, dark eyes, cute smile, legs for days, eighteen years old, freshman. ]

"Do I really need to repeat myself?" Mark mumbled, crimson spreading across his cheeks as they heated in embarrassment. Out of sheer desperation, Mark had gone to the only other person on campus he knew would listen to him.

He was more or less starting to regret it now.

Yugyeom, all wicked smile and mischief filled eyes, stared at Mark as if he wanted to tear every piece of gossip he could from him.

"Of course not hyung," the younger replied, a tone of not-so-obvious innocence in his words.

"Good."

"Unless you want to."

"Yugyeom!" Mark exclaimed, his hand automatically reaching out to flick the boy on the forehead.

Yugyeom yelped, hands quickly coming to protect what he assumed should have been already protected by his hair. "Now hyung that wasn't very nice." He pouted, rubbing at the invisible red mark before he resumed his interrogation.

"So, what are you gonna do now?"

It was a simple enough question, but not one Mark particularly wanted to answer. 

"Would I be here if I knew?" 

Yugyeom considered this statement, his face scrunching up in concentration (Mark thought it looked adorable, but every time he told Yugyeom this always quickly came to regret it). "You have quite the predicament Mark hyung, but Jackson hyung is not an easily embarrassed guy, I'm sure he'll forgive and forget soon enough." He decided, nodding his head as he couldn't agree more with the statement.

Mark, on the other hand, did not.

"You don't understand Yugyeom, I walked in on his practically naked and masturbating no less. This isn't something I can just 'forgive and forget!'" Mark burst out, only realizing his mistake when he saw the truth dawning in Yugyeom's eyes.

Mark had expected a barrage of questions about just how deep his feelings for Jackson went.

What he had not expected was the look of sad understanding in the younger's expression.

"Mark hyung," he said quietly, handing reaching out and fingers lacing with Mark's own, "how long have you felt something beyond friendship for Jackson hyung?"

It was a loaded question. If Mark let everything spill, from how the mere thought of Jackson could make him smile to how much his heart ached when Jackson would talk about a pretty girl in his class, he was certain Yugyeom would never let it go.

There was only one way to escape this.

"Long enough."

Short and sweet, just like the visit that Mark decided to wrap up immediately after the question had been answered.

It was obvious from his sour expression that Yugyeom was not satisfied with the reply, but the younger would just have to suck it in and learn that not every question has an answer.

\--------------------

Now came the hard part.

Dragging himself back to the apartment and hoping that Jackson would either be:

1\. asleep  
2\. Unaware of his presence until he went to sleep

Unfortunately, Mark had already used up his 'one miracle' for the day.

Opening the door to the apartment (as quietly as he could I might add), Mark was immediately faced with a worried looking Jackson sitting on the floor.

"O-oh, Jackson, hi-" before Mark could finish, he was suddenly enveloped in the biggest hug he had ever experienced.

Jackson (who had jumped up the moment) mark stepped through the door), gave no signs of releasing the slightly older boy, his arms only seeming to wrap around Mark tighter and restrict his breathing ability.

"You had me worried sick. How could you run off like that? I tried calling and texting but you didn't answer. Never do something like that again-" Jackson went on and on, continuing to hug Mark as if his life depended on it.

"Jackson, please, I can't breathe." Mark gasped, using any and all strength he could muster to push the blond away, air immediately filling his lungs the moment he was released.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" Jackson exclaimed, his expression still a worried one as he led Mark into the living room and onto the sofa before he plopped down beside him.

The silence that followed made Mark wish that Jackson had succeeded in suffocating him.

When five minutes had passed (but who was counting) and still Mark hadn't spoken, Jackson-ever the diplomat-took the opportunity.

"Mark...about earlier-" 

No. Mark was not going to let him finish that statement.

With a dismissive wave of his hand and a smile that was so plastered on it could have been a Barbie doll's, Mark released Jackson of all and any fear.

"Don't worry about it. We're all dudes here."

The relief that took over Jackson was noticeable as the blond let his body sag, a heavy sigh escaping his lips (which immediately reminded Mark of what noises they had made earlier), before quickly being replaced with a smile. "I knew you would understand, your the best Mark!"

Mark's practiced smile didn't fail him for the rest of the evening as he and Jackson fell into their routine of cookies and milk while they bitched about anything and everything. 

Not once did Mark let a single thought of how cute Jackson was when he was rambling slip into his head, nor did he allow himself to reach forward and wipe off the crumbs that had gathered at the corner of Jackson's mouth, and he even managed to sit through an entire movie about some superhero fighting some bad guy while Jackson's legs draped in his lap.

It wasn't until Jackson was tucked safely back in his room that Mark let the facade he'd been holding up since he walked through the door fall.

"Stupid, stupid boy. Why? Why did you have to let this happen? Why couldn't you have accepted Jinyoung? Why couldn't you have allowed yourself feelings for someone who was actually gay?" The endless array of accusations Mark made to himself didn't stop until finally, too exhausted and hurt over his feelings to think anymore, he fell into bed, sleep claiming him quickly.

He could think about it more tomorrow.

\--------------------

Luckily, Mark didn't have time to think about it.

In fact, between rushing to finish his homework and spending the rest of the day in classes, the events of the day before didn't occur to him once.

That was until he saw Jackson sitting on picnic blanket in the middle of the quad with his arm slung around some girl's waist.

Jackson, smile as bright as the midday sun, was looking at the girl as if she was the only thing in the world, and said girl was giggling at something (probably something Jackson had said) while looking completely and innocently perfect.

Wow, had he really just thought that?

Jealously can really do things to a person.

Now, Mark was once again faced with a dilemma:

1\. keep walking and pretend he hadn't seen anything  
2\. or maybe just so happen to walk by them and accidentally hit the girl in the head with his bag.

Mark's personality reigned in favor of the former and luckily he was saved from further contemplation by Yugyeom.

"Hyung!" The tall boy exclaimed, rushing up to Mark with a slightly shorter but equally as energetic looking boy in tow.

Mark's eyes shifted from Yugyeom to the boy next to him.

[ Brief description (from Mark's pov): tall (taller than Mark anyway), skinny, bright red hair, icy blue eyes that were obviously the product of contact lenses, a sense of fashion that made Mark self conscious of the ripped jeans and red-checked flannel he was currently sporting, and a pair of boots that Mark was fairly certain had heels in them. ]

It took about five seconds for Yugyeom to realize Mark did not know the new kid and another five seconds for him to launch into introductions. 

"Oh, Mark hyung, this is BamBam, he's an exchange student from Thailand majoring in fashion." Yugyeom was all beaming smiles that if Mark didn't know any better would signify a blossoming crush.

"BamBam?" Mark asked, trying to decide whether the kid's parents were just as eccentric as his fashion sense or they just had a funny sense of humor.

BamBam, a knowing grin spreading across his full lips, merely shrugged before replying, "its a nickname, I don't bother telling people my real name because they'll never be able to pronounce it."

"Oh." was the rather lame sounding response Mark chose to give, but with the way his eyes kept flicking back to Jackson and the random girl, it really wasn't a surprise that he couldn't muster up something better.

If only Mark could learn to be more subtle.

Or if only Yugyeom wasn't such an observant busybody.

Following the line of Mark's sight, Yugyeom sighed, shaking his head slightly before grabbing Mark's hand and dragging him away from the offending scene. 

And Mark felt too dejected to even try resisting.

\--------------------

"Hyung, I swear, you've got to do something about this!" He admonished as he forced Mark into a booth at the campus coffee shop before squeezing in, BamBam being allowed the very spacious other half all to himself.

Mark rolled his eyes, arms crossing in an attempt to both make a stand for himself and take up as little space as possible. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." He shot back, randomly grabbing a menu and half heartedly looking over its contents.

"I know it's not really my business..." came a soft voice that took Mark a moment to realize was coming from BamBam, "but what exactly is going on?"

Mark groaned, pushing his face into the menu as Yugyeom launched into a speech worthy of a president on how Mark was stuck in an unrequited love with his best friend Jackson and that Mark was too much of a pussy to do anything about it.

When Yugyeom had finally finished, Mark had expected for BamBam to say something sympathetic or even clever.

What he had not expected was the burst of wild laughter that escaped the newcomer, head thrown back as he tried to control himself.

"BamBam could you not? People are staring!" Mark hissed, trying his best to give a convincing glare but either BamBam was immune or Mark was just really bad at it.

Probably the latter.

"I'm sorry Mark." BamBam finally managed to get out, face almost as red as his hair from loss of breath, "I just find this whole situation very funny because I know someone else whose experiencing the exact same thing."

That peaked Mark's interest.

"Really? Who?"

BamBam merely shook his head, a sly smile on his face as he announced, "ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies."

"Great, a philosopher. Nice catch Yugyeom." Mark grumbled, returning to his perusal of the menu but not before smugly noticing the flush of crimson that suddenly spread across Yugyeom's cheeks.

It was a small victory that stayed with Mark through the rest of their time at the coffee shop and even when he finally managed to escape the two Maknaes (as he had decided to call them), and go back to his apartment.

Unfortunately, Mark did not manage to escape and return to his sanctuary before he was invited to a party that Lim Jaebeom was throwing across campus (which he also learned Jackson was invited to).

This was all bad because good things never happened at Lim Jaebeom's parties.

And with Jackson invited Mark knew he would be going too.

Great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was a wild one (I think, I'm not sure).  
> Thoughts?  
> Do you think Mark should reveal all as soon as possible?  
> Who was the girl that Jackson was with?  
> Aren't Yugyeom and BamBam just the cutest?  
> Who's ready for your typical college-party-where-everyone-gets-drunk-and-secrets-are-revealed?  
> If you have any suggestions of things you'd like to see/happen (possibly even relationships), please let me know!  
> Thanks so much for all the support! It really means a lot!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait, up until recently, I just really didn't have any inspiration.  
> As always, please forgive any grammar/spelling mistakes and enjoy!

"Aw don't be such a stick-in-the-mud."

Mark scoffed

1\. Because he was not a stick-in-the-mud  
2\. Because 'stick-in-the-mud' was literally the most outdated term and he had no idea why Jackson was even using it.

"I already told you Jackson, I'm not going. Plain and simple. Get over it."

But Jackson (in typical Jackson fashion), seemed determined to change Mark's mind (maybe change wasn't a good word because really, he'd drag Mark there if he had to).

"Markiepooh, can't you just do this one thing for me? It's not like I'm asking for much." Jackson pouted, his bottom lip sticking out and those annoyingly chocolate, brown eyes enlarging enough to be reminiscent of a puppy's.

Mark had to be strong. He could not give in. He would not allow Jackson to coerce him into anything and he decided he was going to tell Jackson exactly this.

So Mark opened his mouth:

"Fine, I'll go."

Wait, that's not what he meant to say. 

Unfortunately, Jackson didn't give Mark a chance to correct himself before he was enveloping the slightly older boy in a hug and squealing at the top of his lungs.

"You won't regret this Mark I promise!"

Mark rolled his eyes, a sigh of obvious defeat slipping past his lips before mumbling the simple phrase of: "I better not."

If only Mark knew just how much he was going to regret it.

\--------------------

At exactly 7:35 pm (not that Mark was keeping track), Mark and Jackson showed up on the doorstep of Lim Jaebeom.

[ Brief description: tall, soft hair which seemed to change color every other week, twin beauty marks on his left eyelid, and a smile that could soften literally anyone. Also, the most popular person on campus amongst teachers and student body alike ].

Now came the hard part.

Knocking.

For a moment, the two just stood there, neither one wanting to take the responsibility of asking for entrance.

But Jackson, ever the knight-in-shining-amour, decided to save Mark from the awkwardness of having to greet whoever was on the other side of that door.

Flashing Mark a smile (which only insulted Mark because who on earth has such such a nice and easy smile), Jackson raised his hand up and knocked three times before putting it back in its original position.

"Oh cheer up Mark," Jackson said, his voice sounding somewhat awkward in the tense silence between the two, "you act as if you've never been to a party before."

Mark (who had indeed been to a party before and a few he wished he hadn't), simply rolled his eyes and kept his concentration on the door in front of him, as if his stare alone could open it and free him from the suffocating presence of his aggravating best friend. 

Apparently Mark's miracles just kept coming, because finally, after what seemed like forever (but was only thirty seconds tops), the door opened, revealing an average sized boy with messy hair that Mark recognized as Choi Youngjae.

[ Brief description: big smile, big teeth, squishy cheeks, messy hair, and a laugh that could cure cancer ].

Youngjae, recognizing the guests standing before him, immediately let out a squeal of excitement before he attacked each of them in turn with a hug that was surprisingly strong for a boy his size and build.

Luckily, Jackson was equally as excited and was able to hug Youngjae back with a fierceness that Mark just didn't have in him.

The downside was that now Mark felt extremely awkward standing there on the doorstep with two of his friends hugging it out.

Thankfully, Mark was saved from his continued awkwardness but the abrupt appearance of a tall figure dressed all in black, his dark locks slicked up revealing a forehead that should not have been as attractive as it was and eyes that looked somewhat displeased at the sight before him.

"Youngjae, please release our guests and allow them entry."

"Oh! Of course, how could I forget!" Youngjae exclaimed, releasing a disappointed looking Jackson and putting his attention to the new figure in the doorway. Slipping his hand into the other male's, Youngjae offered an apologetic smile and a simple sentence that was much too suggestive sounding for its own good: "Sorry babe, you know how excited I can get." 

[ Extra description: Choi Youngjae, power vocalist, pure ray of sunshine, Lim Jaebeom's boyfriend ].

This seemed to be enough for the figure (who was obviously Jaebeom), who nodded and gave Youngjae's hand a squeeze. "Hey Mark, Jackson, its good to see you. Welcome to my humble abode, I hope you enjoy yourself." And with that, Jaebeom walked back into the apartment with Youngjae in tow.

"Welp, lets get started, shall we?" 

Mark, who hadn't realized how zoned out he had become in five minutes, was startled by the voice that was next to him.

It took him five seconds to realize it was Jackson.

It took him another five seconds to recognize Jackson's wolfish grin and mischievous sparkle in the eyes.

Yep. Mark was definitely gonna regret tonight.

Especially as a random plastic cup was shoved in his hand and he found himself downing it, the bitter, alcoholic drink burning his throat and giving him a buzz he really didn't need but was enjoying nonetheless. 

Yep.

Regret.

\--------------------

That regret revealed itself in the form of another drink.

And another.

And another.

Pretty soon, Mark wasn't even able to give one the definition of the word drink.

Or drunk.

Or something like that.

Mark, who had unceremoniously plopped himself down on the sofa in the corner, drink in hand and head nodding listlessly to the music in the background, was quite content to spend the rest of the party undisturbed.

Undisturbed meant out of danger of doing or saying anything that would incriminate him.

Unfortunately, it seemed Mark's 'miracles' were all used up for the day as he suddenly found himself face to face with both Yugyeom and BamBam.

"Hyung!" Yugyeom exclaimed, face flush from a mix of heat, alcohol, and exhaustion, "Hyung you won't believe what I just heard," at this, his expression suddenly changed to something conspiratorial as he plopped down next to Mark, making sure there was little to no space between them, "I overheard Jaebeom and Youngjae hyung talking about the gay population and guess whose name came up? Come on guess!"

Mark, who was in no mood for guessing games but was also too drunk to argue, merely rolled his eyes and looked over at the giant Maknae, "I don't know Yugyeom, whose name did come up?"

Yugyeom giggled.

Actually fucking giggled, his hand moving to cover his mouth in an attempt to hide the incessant noises that were slipping past his lips.

BamBam, who had been watching the scene with both mild excitement and secret curiosity (of what Mark wasn't sure), decided that Yugyeom's giggling was taking much too long to complete and thus he must reveal the secret himself.

"Jackson."

"What?" Mark perked up, his head suddenly turning from side to side as if Jackson was nearby.

"No," BamBam said, giving his head a little shake as a sly grin graced his full lips, "Jackson's name came up amongst the possible gays on campus."

Mark looked at the Thai boy, trying to decipher whether there was any joking spirit behind his expression.

But either Mark was too drunk to tell or BamBam was being 100% serious.

He hoped it was the latter.

Mark frowned, not taking his eyes off of BamBam even as he took a long sip from his cup. 

Mark was worried.

Because if there was even the slightest chance Yugyeom and BamBam were wrong...

No. He couldn't entertain the idea, not even for a second.

He couldn't get his hopes up.

The best course of action (or at least in his mind the best course of action), was to shut down the silly notion before it could even get planted in his mind.

"No. Fucking. Way. Jackson's my best friend and not once has it ever come up that he could possibly be gay. I even saw him with a girl earlier today!"

Yugyeom, who had finally composed himself, looked over at Mark with an expression akin to annoyance, "Mark hyung, I don't know why you refuse to believe. Jaebeom and Youngjae hyung are one of the most openly gay couples on campus, I'm pretty sure they'd know whether someone was gay or not."

Before Mark even had a chance to reply, BamBam was jumping in with his own two cents worth. "Jackson could be bisexual, it would explain why you had seen him with a girl yet his name still comes up between Jaebeom and Youngjae."

That-didn't actually seem like such a ridiculous suggestion.

It kind of made sense in some ways.

But before Mark could contemplate just how much it made sense, a heavy and warm body was suddenly crashing through the crowd and landing right on his lap.

It took him ten seconds (it would have taken five but his inebriated state wouldn't let him focus properly), to realize that the sudden weight and warmth was from none other than Jackson.

It took another ten seconds to realize that Jackson was literally straddling him, blond locks a complete mess and eyes hazy from a mix of alcohol and something Mark couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Markiepoohhhh." Jackson slurred, his arms entangling themselves around Mark's neck, fingers threading through the strands of hair at the back and giving them a soft tug. "Markiepooh I miss youuuu."

And suddenly Mark wasn't in that room full of pulsing music and writhing, drunk bodies.

Suddenly, Yugyeom and BamBam weren't even beside him.

It was just him and Jackson.

Tangled together in a drunk mess, eyes locked in a trance that Mark didn't want to escape from.

"Jacks..." he murmured, drink set aside and forgotten, hands settling on the younger boy's waist.

Jackson laughed, that high-pitched, hyena like laugh that Mark wanted to keep on repeat for the rest of his life.

It all happened so fast Mark wasn't quite sure the sequence of it all.

One moment they were just there, neither of them making a move.

The next Jackson's lips were on his.

So many regrets...

But Mark didn't have a thought for a single one of them.

Because he was kissing back.

It was a mess really. All tongue and teeth and soft moans and holding onto anything they could.

"Mark, oh my Mark." Jackson murmured between kisses, his fingers tugging on Mark's hair hard enough to leave a dull ache.

Mark couldn't bring himself to care.

"Jacks...tell me this isn't a dream." He murmured back, holding in the sigh of pleasure that threatened to escape his lips when he felt Jackson's lips begin to trail across his jaw and down his neck.

Jackson giggled, giving a soft nip to the pulse point on Mark's neck before pulling back and looking the older boy dead in the eye.

"If it is, then please, don't wake me up."

And no matter how cheesy that sounded, Mark had no plans to.

\--------------------

Saturday morning dawned way too early for Mark's taste.

It also dawned way too bright.

With a groan that sounded like it was coming from a dying hippo instead of a hungover college kid, Mark rolled over in bed, attempting to shut out the sun with his pillow.

He never did have the chance to succeed.

Because suddenly someone was crashing through his door and forcing him to sit up (even though Mark let out a hiss of pain and annoyance as the morning rays hit him right in the eyes).

"Mark. Mark, wake up. Mark come on, wake up!" Were the exclamations coming from the strange person that Mark had yet to decipher the identity of.

"Mmmgoawaywanttosleepleavemealone." He slurred, trying to ignore the pounding in his temples and the stale taste of old alcohol on his tongue.

The person sighed (a sigh that Mark thought sounded all too familiar), and for a moment, Mark thought they would leave him in peace.

Oh how wrong he was.

Because suddenly, without warning, the poor boy was being dumped unceremoniously out of the bed and onto the floor.

"Fucking hell!" Mark exclaimed, the annoyance obvious as he landed with a hard thud onto the cold floor.

"Language." The person scolded, kneeling down in order to be face to face with Mark, "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"No, but I kissed you." Was the abrupt and nonsensical reply that slipped past Mark's lips before he could stop it.

The person only laughed, a cold, unamused one, eyes crinkling at the corners and hand moving to cover his mouth as if he didn't want Mark to know he was laughing.

"Oh Mark, you really haven't changed a bit."

And suddenly Mark realized why he had shot back such a reply. 

Because, without knowing it, he had fully recognized the disturber of his slumbers.

It was Park Jinyoung.

Aka the ex.

Oh fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, that was interesting.  
> Thoughts?  
> What do you think happened at the party, was it all a dream?  
> If it wasn't, how do you think Jackson will react?  
> Where did Mark end up anyway?  
> Where did Jinyoung come from?  
> How do you think the ex and current crush dynamics will play out?  
> As always, thanks for the love and support and I'll see you next time!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is...interesting to say the least.  
> I guess I'll let y'all be the judge of it.  
> Btw, the italics are supposed to be flashbacks.  
> P.S. Also, I hope this chapter clears up what country the story takes place in, I completely forgot and had to go reedit the first chapter so that people wouldn't be confused.

There were a lot of thoughts rushing through Mark's head in that moment and honestly, with the way his head was still pounding from the hangover, he couldn't even begin to fathom them.

The only one that seemed to be at the front, with bright lights and sirens blaring, was this:

His ex, who was currently sitting in front of him, was just as devastatingly beautiful as he remembered.

Not that he remembered him on a regular basis.

No, definitely not.

Park Jinyoung.

[ Brief description: about Mark's height, dark, brown eyes, messy black hair that always looked impossibly soft, an eye smile that could truly take your breath away when it was sincere, and the kind of personality that could only be described as dominant ].

"J-Jinyoungie, what are you doing here?" Mark asked, not even realizing the nickname had slipped past his lips before it was too late.

Old habits die hard as the saying goes.

And Park Jinyoung had always been a particularly hard habit to quit.

_Mark Tuan had always been naturally quiet, but when thrown into a culture and society that was so completely different from America and with an extremely hard language to boot, he found himself slipping even further into his shell._

_"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." He had reassured his parents._

_He reassured them of this every night._

_Even as he cried himself to sleep._

_But he couldn't let them know that._

_He couldn't let them know how much he struggled, how the kids at the boarding school made fun of his accent and picked on him for not knowing more Korean._

_He couldn't let them know just how much he wanted to go home._

_Enter Park Jinyoung._

_He was a year younger than Mark, but Mark had never cared for the Korean honorifics and age system so it wasn't an impossible thought for Jinyoung to befriend him._

_Jinyoung was quiet. He was thoughtful. He was kind._

_But most importantly he was there._

_They could sit for hours together, neither of them saying a word, but it was enough._

_It was always enough._

_Mark had a lot of things to thank Jinyoung for._

_Because Jinyoung had been a lot of things._

_Jinyoung had made him feel welcome in a strange country surrounded by strange people._

_He had taught him Korean._

_He had taught him how to properly kiss someone._

_He had taught him how to please someone in bed._

_He had taught him how to love._

_Minus the social issues which looked down upon them, Mark and Jinyoung made for a perfect pair._

_Mark was quiet and Jinyoung was studious._

_Mark was adventurous and Jinyoung was curious._

_The list was endless._

_So how could it possibly go wrong?_

Another laugh, this one somewhat more amused, startled Mark out of his reverie, pulling his focus back to the boy in front of him.

"Pulling your sad, hungover being back into the real world." Jinyoung replied, standing back up and brushing himself off as if he didn't have a care in the world.

Mark knew better.

But before he could voice such thoughts a hand was suddenly being put in front of him.

It took eight seconds for Mark to realize Jinyoung was offering to help him up.

It took another five seconds to get over the embarrassment of having to touch Jinyoung's hand.

Unfortunately, it took ten seconds longer than it needed to take for Mark to release Jinyoung's hand when he had finally accepted it and been subsequently pulled up by it.

A mumbled 'thanks' was all Mark could manage as he looked at the floor, the tip of his sock (what had happened to his shoes anyway?) scraping against the dark wood boards.

Mark didn't need to look up to know Jinyoung was currently frowning, soft lips tipping down at the corners and brows furrowing.

He didn't need to guess what Jinyoung was about to say because he already knew what it was going to be.

3.2.1.

"Silly, silly Mark, haven't you learned anything from your past 'hungover' experiences?" 

Okay, so maybe the sentence had been a little different from what Mark had expected, but the gist of it was the same.

Mark was an idiot and Jinyoung was letting him know it.

Oh yeah...

Before Jinyoung's scolding could pull Mark into another flashback, a firm grip was grabbing onto his hand and dragging him from the room, ignoring the protests and whines that he tried to make.

"Where are we going?" Mark asked, eyes finally adjusting but head still pounding. 

In a manner characteristic of only Jinyoung, the slightly younger boy sighed as he tossed Mark a pair of shoes (oh, so that's where they went) and a jacket (also, that's where that went even though Mark didn't think he had actually lost it).

"Isn't it obvious? Was our time together really so forgettable that you don't even remember the ritual?"

Ritual?

Oh, ritual.

_Like any ordinary teenage boys, Jinyoung and Mark had to get drunk at least once or twice._

_Those nights were always fun._

_Often they would end up with the two tangled together in sheets, breaths hot and intermingled as they completed each other again and again._

_Unfortunately, the mornings were never quite as fun._

_But it was nothing a strong cup of black coffee and a couple of pain relievers couldn't fix._

_So every morning-after, Mark and Jinyoung would go to the local cafe, get a large chocolate chip cookie and dark chocolate muffin respectively, and the largest coffee they could buy._

_Yeah, that ritual._

So here Mark was, rumpled clothes and all, sitting in a booth at the local cafe, legs bouncing nervously as he waited for Jinyoung to return with the usual 'ritual.'

After five minutes of continual nervous actions (from a bouncing leg to fingers drumming on the smooth wood of the table), Jinyoung finally returned, a small, white bag in one hand and a cup holder with two coffees in the other.

"I assume your obsession with giant cookies hasn't changed." Jinyoung said casually, setting the items down on the table before he took his own seat across from Mark.

"You know me too well." Mark mumbled, making a grab for the coffee and the paper bag, the contents of which he was eager to devour.

The next five minutes passed in relative silence. Both boys sipping their coffees and munching away on the baked goods (Mark noted that Jinyoung's usual dark chocolate muffin had changed to a blueberry scone), seemingly fine to just be there together.

Just like old times.

Surprisingly, it was Mark who broke the silence (something Mark rarely ever did). 

"Want to explain what exactly you were doing at my apartment this morning?"

Jinyoung, who had been inconspicuously keeping an eye on Mark the other time, gave no hint that he would answer, choosing instead to take a bite of his scone.

"Jinyoungie, I asked you a question. What were you doing at my apartment?" Mark repeated, his tone a little more insistent as he looked at the other boy.

With a sigh, Jinyoung finally deemed it time to grace Mark with a reply.

But it was one Mark hadn't been expecting.

"If you must know," he started, dark eyes flitting between the coffee cup in his hands and Mark, "I was at Jaebeom hyung's party last night."

Mark nearly choked on his cookie.

Oh god. What had Jinyoung seen?

Mark could barely remember the events of the night before, but he was certain that something bad must have happened (as it always did when he got drunk off his ass).

Seemingly unaware of Mark choking to death across from him, Jinyoung continued. "I noticed you with that boy-Jackson I believe his name is. You were both impossibly drunk and lost in sucking each other's faces off. After about five minutes of that, Jackson ran off to lord knows where and you practically passed out right then and there on the sofa."

Oh, now it was coming back to him.

_Alcohol, dim lights, pounding music, Jackson's warm body pressed against his, lips moving together in sync, Yugyeom and BamBam catcalling before they left the two in peace._

"Anyway, since you were abandoned by your friends and boy toy, it seemed only right to drag you back to your apartment-which, might I add, was extremely hard to find since your drunk ass couldn't give me the right directions."

_Strong arms pulling him up from the sofa, practically carrying him out of the apartment and into the cool, night air._

"Long story short, once you were safely back at your apartment and tucked into bed, I left a reminder to call me when you woke up. When you didn't (which I should have expected), I got worried and decided to check up on you myself."

_The stale scent of his apartment, completely dark and quiet; soft covers enveloping him and a warm hand brushing the strands of hair out of his face._

"So, are you going to explain exactly who 'Jackson' is?"

_"Whatever am I going to do with you." An all too familiar voice whispered, the tone of amusement and something akin to wistfulness apparent. Soft lips pressed against his skin before withdrawing all too soon for Mark's taste._

"Mark? Mark are you even listening?" 

"What?" Mark startled, jumping a little and spilling some coffee over the edge of his cup as he tried to assimilate the abruptness of being pulled from ones own thoughts. 

Jinyoung rolled his eyes (a habit Mark had gotten used to the moment they became friends), making a small sound of annoyance at Mark's obvious lack of concentration. "Did you even hear a word I just said?"

Yeah, Mark had heard all of it.

He just really didn't know what to say.

"Sooo, basically you pulled a 'knight-in-shining-amour' and rescued me, so I guess thanks for that?" Mark really hadn't meant to pose it as a question, but his communication with Jinyoung had been so sporadic since the breakup that he was even unsure of how to act around the younger boy. 

The next few moments all seemed to go by in slow motion.

Jinyoung was standing up, a dark emotion flashing behind his usually warm eyes, his mouth opening and closing as if there was something he wanted to say but he couldn't find the words to say it.

Then he was tossing something on the table and walking out of the cafe, leaving behind fellow customers with confused expressions and an even more confused Mark.

It took a full minute and a half after Jinyoung's abrupt exit for Mark to realize what he had put on the table.

Two aspirins.

Oh.

\--------------------

It was a relief for Mark to get back to his apartment. After the Jinyoung drama and thoughts of the night before he really just didn't want to have to deal with any of it.

He had, however, prepared himself to deal with a hungover Jackson and a lot of explaining.

What he hadn't prepared for was the fact that Jackson might not be there.

"Hello?" Mark called out as he stepped across the threshold of the apartment, "Jackson, you there?"

'He could just be sleeping in, if Jinyoung-' Mark stopped himself before his thoughts could drift back to the 'ex' and what had transpired between them earlier.

One minute of waiting for a response.

One minute of absolute silence.

Four minutes to search through the entire apartment.

In total, it took five minutes for Mark to conclude that Jackson was nowhere to be found.

Mark sighed as he began to move around the apartment, thoughts drifting between last night and memories that Jinyoung had brought up.

At least he wouldn't have to deal with Jackson's puppy eyes and pleas of 'Please forgive me Mark hyung!' (An honorific that Jackson only used when he really and truly wanted something), 

What he did have to deal with, however, was the almost immediate pounding on the front door which began to occur before he even had a chance to properly settle down.

'I swear to god if it's those Maknaes.' Mark thought bitterly, standing up from his comfortable sitting position on the sofa in order to see who the unwelcome guests were.

It was, without surprise, the Maknaes

Aka Yugyeom and his apparent new partner-in-crime BamBam (who Mark had learned was only a few months older than Yugyeom and therefore was also a quote 'Maknae,' at least amongst Mark's acquaintances).

Opening the door revealed the two smiling faces of Yugyeom and BamBam, both boys looking much too put together considering how drunk they'd been the night before.

"What the fuck do you want?" Mark asked, a little to nastily but in that moment he really couldn't bring himself to care.

His tone did bring down the smiles but did not succeed in diminishing the mischievous eagerness that the younger two seemed to be radiating. 

"Oh hyunggggg." Yugyeom singsonged as he stepped through the door, forcing Mark to back up a significant amount in order to incorporate the younger's tall frame, "Wasn't the party last night amazing?"

"Yeah, amazing. That's one way to put it." Mark grumbled as he exited the entry hall and resumed his spot on the sofa. leaving the two to their own devices. 

Yugyeom and BamBam, however, were not to be easily deterred.

Quick as a flash, the two young ones had trapped Mark between them on the sofa and were now assaulting him with one question after the other. 

"So how far did you go?"

"Is Jackson a good kisser?"

"What details can you give us?"

"Does Jackson make love or does he fuck?"

"Details Mark hyung!"

"How about you both shut up and let me live? I don't even remember what happened last night in detail so just leave me alone!" Mark exclaimed, his cheeks tinged a bright crimson from both embarrassment and annoyance. It was a good thing there were no immediate objects available or he might just throw something.

Unfortunately, Yugyeom and BamBam seemed determined to not let Mark quote 'live,' and thus, continued their interrogation until finally they were interrupted by the opening of the front door.

Mark would have been thankful for the distraction had the Maknaes not taken it upon themselves to answer the door for him.

Five minutes.

That's how long it took for the opened door to reveal a chipper looking Jackson who quickly made his opening greetings, gave an explanation about needing to get some homework done before finally disappearing into his room with a click of the lock.

He didn't even look at Mark once as he passed through the living room.

Yugyeom and BamBam exchanged a look (how had the two become so close when they'd only known each other for two days tops?), seeming to come to a silent agreement before they turned their attention on Mark.

"Well, would you look at the time. We'd better be going, see you later Mark hyung!" Yugyeom announced before grabbing BamBam's hand and promptly exiting the apartment, leaving Mark alone in the living room which now seemed to be filled with a silence that was almost suffocating.

And Mark, well, Mark really had no idea.

What the fuck had just happened?

\--------------------

After an evening spent wallowing in his emotional confusion and several bowls of mac'n cheese, Mark was feeling at least somewhat better.

That was until he ran headfirst into Jackson who was coming out of the shower just as Mark was heading in.

Jackson standing there in the doorway, blond locks still damp and body completely nude except for a towel tied off at his waist.

It also didn't help that the steam from the shower combined with the glow of the bathroom light created an almost ethereal and aesthetic affect.

One minute.

That's how long the two boys stood, eyes locked and breathes mingling in a way reminiscent of the night before.

The spell was finally broken by Mark's sudden need to sneeze and Jackson's sudden need to blurt out an apology.

*insert Mark's sneeze here*

*insert Jackson's shouted apology here*

*insert the confusion that followed*

*insert the shuffle of two boys going in different directions and the click of two different locks, one in the bathroom and one in Jackson's room*

*insert the two different moments of regret that both boys were feeling*

*insert the 'to be continued' here*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe that was sufficiently wild from start to finish.  
> Lowkey, the Markjin is very real in this and I'm lowkey tempted to see where they'll go (blame the feels they gave me as I was writing their backstory).  
> Do you think the Markjin is real?  
> Why do you think Jackson is avoiding Mark?  
> Does he return Mark's affection?  
> Do you think that Mark may still have feelings for Jinyoung?  
> And what couple would you like to see as 'endgame?'


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I'm so sorry for not updating sooner.  
> I never knew what writers block was until I actually started writing.  
> But without further ado, I present to you the next chapter of our little adventure. I hope you like it!

_The room was pitch black, the only sign that there was even life in it were the hot and heavy breathes coming from the two bodies on the bed, sheets twisted around them until there was no way of escape._

_But those two, they wanted nothing more than to stay like that forever._

_"Tell me Mark, tell me what you want." A voice murmured, but Mark (who was currently pinned beneath the heavy weight of his lover) could not recognize it._

_'That's strange.' He thought, for surely he would know the person who was currently bringing him more pleasure than he'd ever felt before. Yet the voice was distorted, almost a mix of two voices in one (which shouldn't make any sense whatsoever)._

_Mark was startled from his thoughts by a sharp smack to his thigh, followed by a growl from his current captor._

_"Mark hyung, when I speak to you you will answer, understand?" Jinyoung's deep voice suddenly invaded his senses, those usually warm features swimming into view even through the darkness of the room._

_"J-Jinyoungie?" Mark questioned, thoroughly confused as to what exactly was happening._

_"Jinyoung? Whose Jinyoung?"_

_Mark blinked and suddenly everything had changed again, the boy who was currently on top of him was Jackson, whose features were now painted with hurt._

_It was all too much, Mark had to escape. He couldn't breathe, the darkness seeming to close in and suffocate him, the voices of both Jackson and Jinyoung throwing accusations and questions at him left and right._

"Stop!" He called out, sitting upright so fast he immediately regretted it as his head started to spin.

Once the dizziness had faded, it became abundantly clear that Mark was currently in his own bed in his own room (which was currently very bright as the morning sun filtered through the curtained window), with no sign of either Jackson or Jinyoung.

With a resigned sigh, Mark collapsed back in bed, images of his wild dreaming flashing through his mind like a projector.

"What the fuck was in that mac'n cheese last night?" He mumbled, blinking his eyes several times in an attempt to clear his mind of the images (which persisted, particularly one where Jackson/Jinyoung had brought him to the brink several times before finally making him cum just from dirty words and a very large hickey on the neck).

Thankfully (or not so thankfully when Mark realized who it was), Mark was brought out of his thoughts by the slow opening of his door, revealing a fluffy-headed Jackson peaking through, "Mark? Mark are you alright? I heard yelling..."

"Oh, Jackson hey! Come on in." Mark replied, patting the bed in an attempt to coax a very awkward looking Jackson from his current position.

'That's odd, when has Jackson ever been awkward?' Mark thought to himself as the slightly younger boy stepped into the room and plopped himself down on Mark's bed, hands knotted today and expression slightly downcast. 

Reasons for Jackson's possible attitude were as follows:

1\. He just hadn't gotten enough sleep last night (Jackson was often a grumpy if he didn't have his beauty sleep)  
Or

2\. He remembered everything from the party and was feeling very remorseful.

Mark hoped it was the former.

"Look, Jackson I-" before Mark could finish his statement, he was cut off by a finger pressing against his lips.

Jackson looked at him, really looked at him, and for a moment, Mark feared that Jackson could see all and everything, from the deep feelings he possessed for the younger boy to the tucked away feelings that still existed for Jinyoung.

But Jackson gave no sign of fear or disgust (things Mark would have associated with the thoughts currently swirling around inside himself), he merely continued his examination, chocolate brown eyes perusing all of Mark's features from his bed-head to the bit of drool that had crept from his partially open mouth and was now currently resting on his chin.

After what felt like an eternity (but that couldn't have been more than a minute and a half), Jackson finally opened his mouth and spoke, "Mark, I realize things have been kind of...awkward between us lately and I'm not sure what happened. Did I say something at the party the other night when I was drunk? You know how I get when I'm drunk, I'm kind of just an open book-" Jackson continued on with the almost mindless rambling until it was Mark's turn to silence him with a finger to the lips.

Part of Mark was relieved that Jackson didn't seem to remember the intense makeout session they had shared, another, very selfish part was saddened that he didn't.

'It's better this way,' Mark thought bitterly, a sad smile turning the corners of his mouth slightly up, 'things can go back to the way they used to be.'

After another pause, Mark finally replied, hoping that the slight strain on his voice wasn't noticeable, "Jackson its fine, you didn't say or do anything wrong, I've just been kind of out of it lately. But hey, why don't we go get lunch together or something?"

At that Jackson immediately perked up, his expression changing from one of a forlorn puppy to that of a very energetic puppy (they didn't call him 'Wang Gae' for nothing). "That sounds amazing! How about today after my private fencing lesson with coach?"

There was no reason to object (at least non that Mark could think of), so Mark merely nodded his head and hummed his approval, his smile becoming a little more genuine at just how happy Jackson looked. 'Cute.' Mark thought and then mentally slapped himself, if things were to go back to the way they were, such thoughts needed to disappear immediately. 

But as Jackson sat there, eyes twinkling with mischievousness and mouth opening in closing rapidly as he went on about how he saw a cute dog the day before etc., Mark realized just how hard of a task 'going back to the way things used to be' was going to be.

\-----------------

At some point in his life, Mark had come to the realization that the universe is ultimately very unfair and that only a select few manage to make it through with little to no accident.

Mark, unfortunately, was not one of those few.

Currently, he was sitting in the same cafe from the day before (the one he had been abandoned in by Jinyoung), waiting for Jackson to show up for their proposed 'lunchtime bonding session.'

[ Now you're probably wondering why this was such a problem ].

There are two reasons as to why this was a problem.

1\. Mark hated waiting and he especially hated waiting when there were people surrounding him (he didn't want the many locals who frequented the cafe to assume he was some sad loner who had just been stood up).  
2\. Just a few booths down, a very familiar head of soft, black hair peeked out, barely rising above the top of the seat.

[ The next thing you're probably wondering is why Mark was even remotely suspicious that that head of black hair belonged to Jinyoung ].

[ Well...let's just say Mark had experienced his fair share of what it felt like to have his fingers twisted in those locks, tugging and holding on for dear life as Jinyoung- ].

Thanks be to whatever god was above, Mark was saved from further anxiousness by the final arrival of Jackson.

But then Mark got a good look at him.

Yep, it was official, the universe really did hate him.

For there stood Jackson, wearing an ordinary black shirt and dark denim jeans that fit in just the right places, blond locks slightly damp from either sweat or a recent shower and breathing slightly laborious as if he had run all the way there.

Mark thought he had never looked more beautiful.

It took Mark a full thirty seconds to realize Jackson was poking his shoulder and speaking to him rather rapidly (Mark had been too distracted by the shape of Jackson's mouth and the way his perfectly straight teeth would peak out every now and again to notice).

"Hey, earth to Mark, I'm here, now what?"

Mark rolled his eyes, ignoring the dull ache on his shoulder from where Jackson had just been poking, "Well, you see Jackson, when people go to a cafe they usually sit down and order something."

It was Jackson's turn to roll his eyes as he plopped down in the seat across from Mark (Mark had to refrain from thinking back to earlier and Jinyoung's elegant way of sitting). "Hardy, har, since when does the school's resident shy boy have a sense of humor?"

"Since I got stuck with the school's resident idiot. I find it's the only way I can cope with your idiocy." Mark shot back, trying to look serious but failing as his upper lip perked up, revealing just the tips of his teeth.

Jackson grinned back at him, resting his elbows on the table and leaning forward so that his face was barely inches apart from Mark's. "You wound me Markiepooh, and after all we've been through..."

And gone was the innocence of earlier.

Now all Mark was capable of was a sharp intake of breath as he stared back at Jackson, a little unsure of what to do next, especially with the Chinese boy in his personal space.

After all they'd been through? He couldn't possibly...but he did use the nickname-no, that couldn't be it.

The universe seemed determined to add on one problem after another, for Mark, dazed from the proximity of the love of his life, failed to notice the approach of a certain someone who he had been hoping to avoid for the rest of eternity.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" came a voice, the tone dripping with enough disdain to pull Mark from his thoughts and his eyes from Jackson's face.

There stood Jinyoung, looking exactly as he had the day before (except for the pair of glasses he was now sporting which Mark thought suited him exceptionally well), but this time his face was completely expressionless. Mark had always been jealous of Jinyoung's special ability to hide his emotions, but now he was merely annoyed by it.

Annoyed that Jinyoung could somehow still look down on him even when he wasn't showing emotion.

Annoyed that he couldn't tell what Jinyoung was thinking.

Annoyed that he actually wanted to know what Jinyoung was thinking.

In the period of a minute and a half, Mark and Jinyoung shared the most passionate of silent arguments all through an intense staring contest.

Neither came out a victor, for the contest was brought to an end by Jackson's awkward 'clear-the-throat-but-sound-more-like-I'm-choking' noise.

Oh, right. Jackson.

Mark dragged his attention back to the blond boy who was still sitting across from him, but was now shifting from side to side, expression a mix between discomfort and confusion. 

Mark could relate to that.

A voice started speaking and suddenly words were filling the air, and it took about thirty seconds for Mark to realize they were coming from him.

"Oh, Jinyoung, hey there! I don't suppose you've been introduced but this is Jackson, my friend and roommate." Mark babbled on, his mouth refusing to close even though he tried desperately to make it (apparently his mind was no longer connected to his mouth which was a problem because Mark had always relied on it to keep himself sane).

Whether fortunately or unfortunately for Mark, Jinyoung was used to his mindless rambling when he became nervous and easily cut him off with one look that would have had even the ever talkative Jackson shutting up.

Jinyoung sighed, shaking his head at Mark's actions before shifting his gaze to Jackson. Quirking an eyebrow, Jinyoung examined the blond quickly, giving him a mere once over before returning his attention to Mark (who was still paralyzed with something he couldn't explain). 

"Really Mark? Bringing your little boyfriend out on a date-not even a whole day later-in the same place as our little...lovers spat?" Jinyoung's words were cutting, precise, and well aimed (a talent of his from the beginning), but behind the cruel nature, Mark could have sworn he saw a flicker of hurt flash behind Jinyoung's dark eyes before it quickly disappeared, masked once again by the young man's acting ability.

"W-we aren't-I don't know what-I mean-" Mark sputtered, flushing a bright crimson before ducking his head down, hoping that neither Jackson or Jinyoung would notice just how embarrassed he was.

'Please, just let this all be a dream.' Mark silently prayed to himself, squeezing his eyes shut for emphasis.

He knew that everything going on around him was indeed a reality as suddenly an arm was snaking around his waist, pulling him closer as a warm breath fanned his face, filling him with the intoxicating scent that could only be associated with a certain someone.

Jackson.

Now Jackson, who had taken all of this awkward situation into careful consideration, had deemed it necessary to protect Mark's dignity and save him from whoever this Jinyoung person was (though Jackson ignored the strange pang that shot through his chest at the Jinyoung's implication of being in a 'lovers spat' with Mark).

When Mark opened his eyes and looked up, Jackson was impossibly close, so close that Mark could see all of the natural blemishes that Jackson always tried desperately to cover up with makeup.

'Beautiful.' He thought, a soft smile stealing away his current state of bad feelings as he stared only at Jackson.

Focused only on Jackson.

In fact, he barely noticed as Jackson spoke, the Chinese male keeping him close as he made his announcement.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Jinyoung-ssi, I only wish it was under better circumstances. Mark and I have not had the chance to spend time together recently and thought it only proper to have some catching up time. That is what couples do right?" 

Now it was Jinyoung's turn to look flustered (something even Mark had never achieved during all of their years together), eyebrows knitting together as a frown marred his usually perfect lips; but with a control that only Jinyoung had, the expression was soon erased and replaced with a practiced smile. 

"Oh, I do apologize. Please forgive me. I'll leave you two to your little...date." 

Even Jinyoung, with all of his ability, could not mask all of the emotions that threatened to break through, especially on that last word. 

Mark watched as once again, Jinyoung made a beeline for the exit. It wasn't until the tell-tale sign of the bell ringing as the door opened and closed that Mark realized he'd been holding his breath the whole time.

"Jackson, I don't know what to say. Thank yo-" but as Mark turned to give Jackson his thanks, he discovered that his blond friend was nowhere in sight.

Great. Two men that Mark may or may not have been in love with had just walked out on him.

What kind of romantic comedy was Mark in anyway.

\--------------------

"Your case is almost impossible hyung, I don't even know what to say."

"How about you don't say anything and pass me the nachos."

No matter how many times Mark claimed to be completely done with his bullshit, Kim Yugyeom had become the friend and confidant that Mark knew he would never be able to get rid of even if he wanted to.

It was for that exact reason that Mark was now lounging on the couch of Yugyeom's apartment, stuffing his face with nachos while playing overwatch and avoiding all of his problems (like that homework he really needed to finish before the end of the weekend).

Yugyeom shook his head as he pushed the plate of nachos towards Mark, carefully examining the older boy's features for any give away as to what he was feeling. 

"You really can't keep bottling it up inside, you know it's just going to blow and someone's going to get hurt."

Mark rolled his eyes, pushing that nagging voice that said Yugyeom was right to the back of his mind. Though Yugyeom was a few years younger, he gave surprisingly good advice. It's just that Mark really didn't want to follow that advice.

"He's right Mark, it's not healthy." Another voice chimed in, the accented Korean reminding Mark that it was BamBam and not said voice in his head.

Mark had resigned himself to the fact that Yugyeom and BamBam now came as a package deal. And (though he would never admit it), they somehow fit well together, shown in the easy way BamBam sat himself next to Yugyeom, with very little room in between and their fingers laced together. Though Yugyeom had claimed nothing was going on (when Mark had asked him), Mark knew better. He could see it in the smile that the two shared when they thought they were being secretive.

Mark knew it well.

Because it was something he had experienced with Jinyoung.

And then with Jackson.

But with Jinyoung at least Mark had known where his feelings lay, with Jackson...

"Aish, shut up you brat, I'm technically your hyung which means you need to show me some respect." Mark exclaimed, swatting BamBam's hand away as the Thai boy tried to snatch away one of the nachos.

BamBam grinned as he grabbed a handful of the nachos while Mark was too distracted by the game, "but I'm not Korean and neither are you, which means honorifics are not quite as important to either of us."

Mark knew BamBam had a point, but that didn't stop him from launching a pillow at him and grinning when it landed with a satisfying smack on the younger's face followed by a squeak that was much too girly sounding.

And suddenly everything seemed alright. As Yugyeom and BamBam got into a heated argument on what season it was appropriate to wear plaid in and their desperate pleas for Mark to help them decide, somehow Mark knew.

He knew it would be alright.

Somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And scene!  
> I hope you liked it, I think this was actually a pretty decent chapter story wise (but that is my biased opinion).  
> What did you think?  
> Is Mark really starting to have a conflict of feelings for both Jackson and Jinyoung?  
> Why does Jackson keep disappearing after every confrontation?  
> Do you think things should 'go back to the way they used to be' for Jackson and Mark?  
> Would you like to know exactly why Jinyoung is so bothered by Markson being together?  
> What did you think of the Yugbam + Mark dynamics at the end (personally I thought they were very cute)?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for  
> 1\. The shortness of this chapter  
> 2\. Any and all mistakes  
> And most importantly  
> 3\. For all the angst I managed to cram in

The weekend had come and gone in a blur, and honestly Mark was thankful for the start of classes on Monday. At the moment, tackling an essay on 'a select 19th century author and how they contributed to their period of time' seemed much easier than facing the emotional whirlwind which was the past couple of days.

It definitely helped that Jackson was currently occupied with intensive training and practice sessions for the upcoming fencing tournament; thus, his presence in their shared apartment didn't extend beyond waking and sleeping.

'This is good. No Jackson, no confusion.' Mark reminded himself throughout the week, even as he felt a twinge of hurt at not seeing Jackson on Wednesday in the one class the two shared. 

[ Fun fact: the class was languages, because Jackson and his love of learning had begged Mark to sign up with him and because Mark was a complete pushover and totally whipped for the blond he had agreed ].

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, he wasn't. 

Mark had tried not to overthink what had occurred on Sunday at the cafe, nor had he attempted to stop Jackson long enough to talk about it, his unfortunate shyness and tendency to bottle things up inside getting the better of him. 

Yugyeom and BamBam had not made it easy. Having Yugyeom constantly on his case had been bad enough, but BamBam had quickly jumped on the 'let's all pressure Mark until he snaps and throws a laptop at us' bandwagon (and no, Mark had definitely not thrown a laptop at BamBam when the Thai boy wouldn't shut up about Mark's flannel failings and 'lack of lust' while Mark was busy trying to work on a thesis concerning some dead poet that was due in twenty-four hours). In fact, it seemed that they were far more interested in Mark's love life than their own (and there was definitely a 'love life' going on between those two if BamBam's slight limp and Yugyeom's constant blushing was any indication), berating him with questions and teases until he was just about ready to disown them.

Well, at least as far as Mark knew (because one could always stand to be a little more positive), life could only go up.

Oh if only he knew just how wrong he was.

\--------------------

By Friday Mark was just about ready to quit.

He was ready to quit college, toss out his degree, forget about becoming an author, and get a job at the closest McDonalds instead.

And why, you may ask?

Because yet another 'maknae' had been added to the line up of people to torment Mark.

His name was Choi Youngjae.

[ see chapter 2 for more detail ].

Choi Youngjae was literally the living sun. He laughed like a seal, had a tendency to hit people/things when he did so, was an eager beaver to learn English, and to top it all off came with a very intimidating looking boyfriend who had thrown a party which would now live forever in infamy for Mark. 

To be perfectly honest, Mark wasn't really sure how Youngjae (and Jaebeom) had gotten added to the circle of Mark's 'friends.' Apparently Yugyeom had decided to take up voice lessons outside of his dance major and had enlisted Youngjae (who Mark would admit had a very powerful set of vocals) to be his teacher. From there...Mark really had no idea.

What he did know was that Yugyeom and BamBam’s once 'comfortable for three, crowded with four, downright miserable with five' couch had been taken over by two more people and that at the current moment they were all squished together on it as some mindless action movie flashed by on the tv.

Mark suffered in silence until halfway through the film when he felt the tell tale signs of a sleeping BamBam's head resting on his shoulder.

And suddenly he had it.

"I really don't see why someone can't sit on the floor, I vacuumed yesterday so it's not like it's dirty and there are a few choice chairs littered around this living room." He announced, trying to sound as convincingly annoyed as possible (but BamBam's soft snores were making it hard to do so especially considering just how adorable he looked).

Unfortunately for Mark, Yugyeom (whether jealous of just how comfortable BamBam was against Mark's shoulders or just to tease his hyung), quickly took the opportunity to shove him off the couch and take his respective place next to BamBam.

Mark would never admit that the sound he let out when landing (with a soft thud on the ground) actually came from him, nor would he admit just how much it actually hurt considering he had a very skinny ass (as he had often been teased about), he especially wouldn’t admit that he was regretting his earlier words.

Whether he would admit any of that or not, what happened next Mark couldn't quite say.

He called out a string of expletives in English at Yugyeom who merely smiled slyly (if only the poor boy knew just what Mark was calling him [Hint: it rhymes with 'brother ducker']), then Youngjae (who had been situated on the couch squished between Yugyeom and Jaebeom) threw his head back and let out a loud laugh while clapping his hands together excitedly, BamBam woke up with a long moan of Yugyeom's name as he snuggled further against him, and Jaebeom announced that he quote 'hated them all minus Youngjae for ruining the one action movie he actually like.'

"Yah! You're all brats, I'm out." Mark declared and stood up with a 'harrumph' and an overly long pause to brush himself off (and just because he was feeling particularly nasty), "spoiler alert: the best friend is actually working with the villain." 

He considered that maybe he should have felt bad for the last comment, but the satisfied smirk on his face when hearing the protests and whines of the younger boys convinced him otherwise.

What? Sometimes Mark was allowed to be the 'L.A. Gangster,' it was his special privilege and he was going to take full advantage.

\-------------------

Unfortunately, Mark was now at a loss for what to do.

It was Friday and he had just left the semi sanctity of Yugyeom's apartment all because of his quick temper and need for personal space.

"You and your big mouth." He mumbled as he kicked the sidewalk with his foot, hands stuck in the pockets of his dark blue hoodie as he walked aimlessly across campus. 

After about twenty minutes of literally walking in circles, Mark came to the conclusion that he really should just go back to his own apartment and get some actual work done and maybe a decent nights sleep.

Finally, Mark had made up his mind.

He would go back.

After all, what’s the worst that could happen?

\-------------------

Mark really needed to stop asking himself that question.

Because currently, the worst that could happen would be walking in on Jackson fucking some girl on the sacred couch that had cost Mark most of his allowance.

And that’s exactly what was currently happening.

Having stuck in his earbuds, Mark had not heard the tell tale signs of passionate lovemaking, and with his head titled and gaze lowered, he might have just walked right past the very active pair without even noticing.

If only a flash of golden skin hadn’t caught the corner of his eye and pulled his gaze over to where Jackson was currently pushed onto his back, eyes squeezed shut and hands gripping onto the leather of the couch while the unknown female bounced on him like he was some sort of horse.

Mark barely registered the scream of horror that escaped his mouth followed by the equally as horrified scream of the unknown female when she realized they’d been caught followed by Jackson’s moan of annoyance and shouts of ‘fuck off Mark.’ (Which at the moment seemed rather ironic).

Mark managed to escape the horrible sight before him to the sanctity of his own room.

But he would never forget that sight, the image of Jackson and some completely unimportant girl fucking was burned into his brain, everything about it, from the light sheen of sweat on Jackson’s body to even the sounds of pleasure that escaped past his lips; and yet the one image that really stuck out to him (even more than the former), was the brief flash of something akin to guilt behind Jackson’s eyes as he had looked at Mark, outwardly defiant of the slightly older boy interfering in his love life, yet inwardly feeling the true sadness of the situation. 

And the true sadness was the Jackson was straight, he liked fucking girls and nothing would ever change that.

‘Who am I kidding.’ Mark thought hopelessly to himself as he leaned against the door of his room, sliding down till he was sitting on the floor. Somewhere in the background, the sounds of wild pleasure could be heard, but Mark’s despair sufficed to drown it out. ‘Jackson could never love me, whatever happened between us at that party...forget it.’

And for the first time since the start of his life in Korea, Mark cried.

He cried for the feelings of confusion and jealousy, anguish and hope.

But most of all he cried for the heartbreak that was now ripping through his chest.

It’s not like it was a new feeling, Mark had felt it before when he and Jinyoung had broken up, and after a good weekend of moping around and feeling dead on the inside, Mark had picked up the pieces and moved on. 

Yet Jackson seemed different, felt different. 

As much as Mark hated to admit it, he had the sneaking suspicion that Jackson Wang was going to be a boy not easily forgotten.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

\-------------------

Park Jinyoung had experienced many things in his young life.

He’d experienced everything from the height of happiness (aka true love), to the lowest of sadness (aka heartbreak).

But one thing he had never experienced was being the last resort, the person one went to when there was no one else. 

So when Mark Tuan called him at close to midnight on Friday (almost a week since they had last seen each other), Jinyoung knew there was only one reasonable explanation.

Mark Tuan had just had his heart broken by Jackson Wang.

And Jinyoung was the aforementioned ‘last resort.’

In some ways Jinyoung knew he should probably be offended (being the last resort and all), but he knew Mark.

He knew that Mark would:

1\. Never call him without reason  
2\. And usually that reason would consist of Mark not being able to bottle up the emotions anymore.

Jinyoung looked at the screen of his phone, the name ‘Mark Tuan’ flashing across it in big, white letters.

For a moment he did nothing, merely listened to the incessant noise of his ringtone (he made a mental note to change it later).

Then he smiled.

And when he picked up the phone, he knew exactly what he was going to say.

“Hello Mark, it’s been a long time.”

What he had not known or expected, was Mark’s reply.

“Jinyoungie, we need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo do you love me or hate me?  
> Maybe a little bit of both?  
> I hate Markson angst as much as the next person but lowkey I’m excited for the Markjin story arc that’s about to happen.
> 
> What do you think?  
> Do you think that Markson is dead?  
> Do you think that Markjin (at least at the moment) is a healthier choice?  
> What would you like to see more of (I.e. storylines, ships, etc.)  
> Until next time, thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is very, very late and I apologize but please forgive me and enjoy this chapter that I honestly tried to make as intriguing as I could. I also tried to really make some forward progress so all your waiting would not be for naught.  
> So enjoy and ignore any and all mistakes because I’m too self conscious to proof read any of this (I’m always looking for volunteers to be a beta for me).

Mark Tuan could count on one hand the amount of times he had been at his lowest.

The first three had all involved his move to Korea and the despair that had settled over him when he quickly discovered that Korean society was very, very different from America’s.

The fourth was his breakup with Jinyoung.

The fifth was the darkness that had settled over him afterwards which left him unresponsive to the rest of the world for a good month or so. 

The latest (which added one more hand to his counting), was feeling so lost, alone, and utterly heartbroken that he finally called Jinyoung.

So there he sat at the local McDonalds (which happened to be the only thing open that late on a Friday night), hands so tightly wrapped around his cup of coffee that the knuckles were white and legs jostling under the table enough that he feared it would knock over.

“You said you needed to talk, so talk.”

At the sudden entrance of Jinyoung’s firm voice, Mark perked up, immediately at attention.

“Y-yeah, sorry, there’s just so much I have to say and I’m not really sure where to begin.” He replied, his grip on the cup loosening only slightly.

Jinyoung sighed and set down his own cup; for moment he said nothing, then he rested his elbows on the table, hands clasping together and head tilting slightly as he examined Mark, dark eyes almost kind in their inquisitiveness.

It was amazing what one little look could do. Suddenly Jinyoung didn’t seem like his usually dominant and commanding self, in fact, he seemed downright boyish (the soft brown cardigan and gently styled locks of dark hair definitely didn’t help).

It was enough to give Mark anxiety.

“Hyung, you can talk to me you know.” Jinyoung murmured, voice much gentler than before, the tone silky and smooth, instantly soothing Mark’s nerves and making him visibly relax.

And Mark did know, because:

1\. Jinyoung had always been there for him to talk to.  
2\. Jinyoung never addressed him as ‘hyung’ unless he was being serious (a habit from their highschool days).  
3\. [ off topic ] The amount of power the younger male possessed over him was quite unnerving. 

Everything else went by in a blur (as seemed to often be happening lately). One moment Mark said nothing, and then suddenly he was opening his mouth and letting all of the things he’d been bottling in spill over.

It wasn’t until he felt Jinyoung’s warm hand on his face, thumb brushing away a stray tear, that Mark realized he’d been crying.

Suddenly Mark felt embarrassed. How could he have allowed Jinyoung to see him like this? A literal, emotional mess. 

“I-I’m sorry Jinyoungie, I know you probably didn’t want to have to deal with all of my shit especially at this time of night and I just-what I mean to say is-just...thanks.” He managed to choke out, a light blush coloring his cheeks at the realization that Jinyoung was still touching his face.

Mark hadn’t really been sure how Jinyoung would respond (possibly with an ‘I told you so’ or something similar), but he certainly had not expected what Jinyoung did next.

He smiled.

Park Jinyoung fucking smiled, eye crinkles and all. 

“Mark hyung, you never have to apologize to me. The fact you bared your soul to me just now, telling me things I know you would never tell another human being...it really means a lot.” Jinyoung answered, that stupidly perfect smile still adorning his features as he went on, “Actually, to be completely honest with you, it makes me nostalgic, makes me remember our younger days.” 

An image flashed through Mark’s mind of a pair of boys barely older than sixteen, lanky limbs tangled together as they were both thrown into a fit of laughter over something Mark couldn’t remember. 

Yep, ‘nostalgic,’ that was one word for it.

Mark turned his face to the side, the hand which had been pressed to his cheek falling away as if Jinyoung sensed his sudden unease.

Was Mark uneasy around Jinyoung? To tell the truth, not even the poor boy was sure.

Being around Jinyoung-telling him things and acting so intimately-it didn’t just remind Mark of their high school days, it reminded him of their dating days.

And Mark definitely didn’t want to remember how that ended.

“Mark, Mark hyung, please.” Even though Mark knew the voice was Jinyoung’s, it still sounded so far away, much like their former relationship. 

“I-I’m sorry Jinyoungie, sorry for taking up so much of your time, sorry for burdening you with this even though you say it’s okay,” Mark stated, turning his face back to look at Jinyoung (who had a most confused and almost hurt look on his face as he held his breath, waiting for Mark to finish the statement), “but most importantly, I’m sorry for hurting you.”

And with that, Mark stood up, gave a polite bow to Jinyoung, turned to walk towards the exit, and slipped through the door in a record amount of time.

If Mark had even bothered to look back, he would have seen that Jinyoung was crying too.

\--------------------

Jinyoung watched as Mark left, the door closing behind him with a soft thud.

It wasn’t until it had fully closed that Jinyoung realized he was crying, the tears dripping down his cheeks and falling unceremoniously all over the place, from the table top to the sleeves of his sweater before disappearing, the only proof of their existence being the slight damp spots they left behind. 

The laugh the bubbled out of him sounded more insane than normal and he was forced to cover his mouth with his sleeve in order to stop it. 

Is that what heartbreak does to you? Make you feel like the only option is to laugh in the hopes it’ll swallow the tears?

Jinyoung didn’t know.

But what he did know was that Mark Tuan still held far too great a hold on him.

And also if he didn’t get out of that McDonald’s quick, someone was gonna call the police and report an exhausted looking college student who had finally snapped and was now laughing as he was crying.

[ Then again, this was McDonald’s, these things probably weren’t uncommon for them ].

Dropping a few coins in the tip jar, Jinyoung hugged himself just a little bit tighter before turning the same door that Mark had just used and braving the outside world he had been abandoned for.

‘Its a good thing I still have that essay to write.’ He thought bitterly before he pushed through the door and was engulfed by the cool, night air.

 

\--------------------

“Seriously Yugyeom-ah, I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t ask to fall in love with Jackson while still having feelings for my ex who I think may also still have some feelings for me(?) but I honestly don’t know anymore and-hey you brat pay attention to me!”

Mark had only been at Yugyeom’s apartment for about fifteen minutes and already his drunk self had proven to be quite the talker (much to the complaint of Yugyeom and amusement of BamBam).

Yugyeom rolled his eyes, having found his interest in Mark’s drunken rant to be quickly fading (if it had ever existed considering Mark had interrupted a very interesting game of ‘never-have-I-ever’ that BamBam had convinced him to play even though Jaebeom and Youngjae were long gone and technically the game couldn’t be played with just two people but making it a strip tease really increased the general attraction), “Ah, hyung I really don’t know what you want me to do. You keep going back and forth without making a clear decision in any direction, if your life was a story I’m fairly certain the readers would be getting very tired of it at this point.”

The younger’s announcement only made Mark frown (mainly because he knew Yugyeom was right but his drunken self didn’t want to admit that-and would BamBam stop smirking at him the little brat), the box of alcohol he was sipping from suddenly seeming much too empty for his liking (thank god they actually had alcohol in juice boxes Korea really was living in the future). 

Just as Mark opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off by the clearing of a throat and the sound of accented Korean.

“Well Mark hyung, it seems that you’ve gotten yourself into quite the predicament, one that I am very glad to say I have never been in; but have you ever considered that maybe, just maybe, this is exactly what you need to push you in the right direction?”

Mark swiveled around (yes, it was possible to ‘swivel’ while standing up), and turned to look at BamBam (who had remained silent for the majority of this visit). The younger merely smiled, his countenance relaxed but his eyes shining with something very intelligent and knowing. 

Again Mark tried to speak, but the only sounds he managed were weird splutterings and general sounds of annoyance. When he looked to Yugyeom for backup, he saw that the young Korean was staring at BamBam with complete awe, as if the young man was the most awe inspiring thing in existence (which was highly possible but again Mark was too drunk and bothered to admit it).

“Fine,” he huffed, sticking his chest out and tossing the now empty box of alcohol into the nearest trashcan, “I know when I’ve been defeated. I’ll just take my leave and allow you two to continue whatever game of immoral pleasures you were up to before I got here. Now I bid you adieu.”

And with that, Mark turned around, marched out the door, and slammed it with a much too satisfying thud.

Maybe BamBam and Yugyeom were right, but that didn’t mean Mark had to admit it, at least right now anyway.

There was always tomorrow. 

\--------------------

It was with a headache and a general feeling of wanting to empty whatever contents he still held in his stomach that Mark woke up the next morning.

As he attempted to open his eyes, he couldn’t help the hissed ‘shit’ that escaped him at the brightness of the room.

“I really need to stop drinking.” He muttered as he began to sit up, hands flying up to clutch at his pounding head. “Better yet, I really need to stop living.”

After a few minutes of just adjusting to his surroundings, Mark realized he had somehow wound up back in his room; however good or bad that seemed, it made him realize that he had also somehow managed to sneak past Jackson (who more than likely still had his fuck-buddy with him).

Groaning, he flopped back onto the pillows, throwing an arm over his eyes in an attempt to block out the ever increasing sunlight. 

“Fuck my life, honest and truthfully just fuck it.”

Perhaps the gods were answering his prayer, because the moment the words had left his mouth, the incessant buzzing of his cellphone went off.

With another hiss Mark sat up again, blindly throwing his arm out to grab at the offending device and sliding his thumb across the screen.

“I swear to god if this is Yugyeom-“ he muttered as he brought the phone to his ear, trying to put on his most cheery voice (the most he could manage anyway with the current hangover he was sporting), “hello?”

It was both to Mark’s relief and horror that the call turned out to be a voicemail.

A relief because he didn’t have to talk to anyone.

A horror because the voicemail was from Jackson.

“Hey Mark,” Mark heard Jackson say, the shock hitting him as he realized the younger was speaking in English, “I’m sorry about what happened last night, what you saw...god I can only imagine how fucked up that left you. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize and make sure you’re okay (considering you just sort of vanished last night and didn’t answer any of my texts or calls). I have practice today but if you get this message just please...call me back.”

Mark hadn’t realized he was holding his breath till it all came out in a rush, his body desperately sucking in air as he dropped the phone.

“Jackson,” he whispered, the sharp sting of tears threatening at the back of his eyes, “oh my god.”

It was then that Mark realized he had a choice.

He could choose to call Jackson back, to try and fix things, but risk things continuing as they were: a friendship with the potential pains of feelings.

Or he could choose to ignore it and call the only other person who had given him any sort of comfort lately.

And immediately Mark knew which one he was going to choose.

After dashing to the kitchen to fix a quick cup of coffee, eat something light and pop a couple of advil, Mark returned to his room and plopped back down on the bed, the smooth, dark screen of his phone seeming to taunt him.

“Its now or never.” He murmured and reached for the device, typing in the number he knew by heart before bringing it to his ear.

Heart pounding with every ring, he waited to hear the tale tell signs of an answer.

“Hello?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?  
> Is this too twisty and turny?  
> Are you glad that Mark is starting to make some actual decisions?  
> How do you feel about the issues going on with Jackson and Jinyoung?  
> Is there a particular couple or thing you want to see happen?  
> Just let me know in the comments!

**Author's Note:**

> Well? Did you love it? Hate it? Can't wait for more?  
> Either way I'd love to know!  
> Also, I know the college/university thing has been done before but I can't help it because soft college boyfriends Jackson and Mark is one of my favorite concepts.


End file.
